


Need a hand?

by pajama_cats



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Black 2 & White 2 | Pokemon Black 2 & White 2 Versions
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-21 19:53:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14292222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pajama_cats/pseuds/pajama_cats
Summary: When Hugh gets lost in Pinwheel Forest he begins to think he's trapped in an endless maze. Thankfully Cheren is more than happy to help.





	Need a hand?

Pinwheel Forest, an area said to be the former home of the legendary Virizion and a great place to train against strong trainers. To Hugh it sounded like a great place to go. It never hurt to get as strong as he could and a new area meant new possibilities. 

It  _ was _ however a good idea at first. After hours of training and exploring through the forest Hugh wasn't sure how he managed to get lost in the first place. Maybe it was because he neglected the time or never bothered watching trainers leave after being defeated by his superior team. Instead he opted to walk deeper into the forest only to be met by more trees and wild Pokemon who seemed to prefer resting as the sun was long gone, than watching curiously as to what a trainer was still doing out this late.

It's not like this was the first forest he's ever been to, sure there was White Forest, but locals lived there together with Pokemon that gave it more of a home-like atmosphere rather than the maze he was currently in. Unova was mostly filled with cities, so he couldn't blame himself for being more familiar with cities than forests.

It did occur to Hugh that he could call for help, his Xtransceiver was with him at all times anyway. But how embarrassing would it be just to have someone come search for him, especially when it was his fault for being careless. It'd be even worse if they actually made a search party for him. Geez, what a major hit to his pride that'd be.

Flying seemed futile at this time and if he happened to hurt his Unfezant trying to maneuver out of the forest then it was out of the question. It felt like one of those forests he's heard about that you can't fly out of like Viridian Forest or Ilex Forest.

Hugh can't recall how long its been since he's actually seen another trainer and honestly it's starting to get to him. At this point he regrets not going to the Pokemon Center like he should have and instead just used items from his waist pack to heal his team. The faint sound of Pokemon chattering makes Hugh more aware of his surroundings, making the forest feel more eerie than welcoming as it did in daylight. 

_ ‘Maybe bringing out one of my Pokemon would be a good idea- not that I need someone beside me. I could find my way out perfectly on my own. Yeah right, I can't even kid myself. I'm lost. But I don't need my team to protect me I'll be perfectly fine-’  _

“Hugh? What are you doing out here at this time?” 

The sudden voice has Hugh jumping from being startled, a hand on his waist to retrieve a Pokemon, but once he turns around and realizes who it is he can't help but let out a sigh of relief as his hand drops from the pokeball gripped in his hand. He's thankful it's too dark for Cheren to notice the embarrassed blush on his face over feeling like a hypocrite from his latest thoughts.

“I was training is all.” Hugh doesn't bother to elaborate, wishing his words came out as casual as he normally is but instead comes out awkwardly.

“I see.” He knows for a fact that Cheren probably didn't buy what he said. It was true for the most part, until he actually  _ did  _ get lost. The unimpressed look makes Hugh a bit annoyed, along with the small sigh that escapes Cheren’s lips.

“What about you? It's rare to see you in places like this.” Hugh asks, actually curious as to why Cheren is there other than an excuse to change topics. He hopes Cheren doesn't notice the way he's gotten closer to him, feeling paranoia seep in as time ticks by.

“I could say the same for you, but I was out investigating when I heard a member of Team Plasma was spotted here. I ran into Nate while on my search, but our investigation fortunately turned out to be nothing worrisome. Nate mentioned wanting to go find the Moss Rock located here in the forest, so we departed. I was on my way out when I thought I heard noises coming this way. But seeing as it was only you and nothing troubling.. Would you like to join me out of here?”

“Since you're offering, sure.” Hugh hopes it's not obvious how relieved he sounds or seems around Cheren, and if the gym leader noticed he didn’t bring it up. He is however silently thankful that Cheren offered to walk with him, rather than the bluenette having to ask.

“It is nice to have your company anyway.” Hugh isn't sure why he blurted that out, maybe even meaning it as a thank you towards Cheren, but the surprise look on Cheren's face followed by a wide smile says he appreciates the words.

They both walk in comfortable silence, something that would have been off putting to Hugh if he were alone, but since Cheren is with him he feels more at ease now. 

“You know, I once got lost in this forest before.” Cheren speaks up and the topic immediately has Hugh's attention, though slight confusion. Cheren practically screams the word responsible. It's hard for him to ever think less of the gym leader.

“When I was younger I was too stubborn to ask for help and too impatient to calmly think the situation through.” The pause after makes Hugh think either Cheren is doing it to be suspenseful or trying to making a point, which Hugh believes is the latter. Assuming Cheren’s talking about  _ him  _ now, Hugh immediately takes offense. Was this his way of scolding him? Hugh doesn't ponder on the thought, or rather he doesn't have time to focus on it when all of his attention is now directed towards the hand now holding his. 

“But eventually I was able to make it out, obviously.” The story itself implied Cheren made it out okay, otherwise he wouldn't be there telling the short story to Hugh. In a way it's as if Cheren was making a joke. 

“That's no big secret, Cheren.” Hugh huffs out a laugh anyway, forgetting the confusion on the hand holding his as he slowly swings the entwined hands. It was almost relaxing in a way.

Cheren shakes his head with a smile and stops in his tracks. Hugh wants to question him once more before he realizes that they made it out of the forest. He's grateful to see the starry sky once more, smiling at the fact that he finally got out of the forest, and with Cheren no less. 

“I suppose this is where we part ways.” Cheren almost looks disappointed, yet he still remains unmoved. “Unless you're planning to head back to Aspertia City like I am?” The look in his eyes almost seems hopeful, but Hugh ignores it as he's more interested in the fact that they're both going the same path. As if he’d reject an offer from Cheren.

“Like I said, I enjoy your company.” Feeling bold Hugh decides to wink at Cheren, who seems surprise at first but smiles as they set off together once more. Hugh knows he said something different in the forest, but his words are both the same anyway. And it's nice, he thinks, to see Cheren’s smile.

As they walk towards Castelia City, Hugh finds that he doesn't mind the hand still wrapped around his or the fact that they could both easily fly back home. In fact, he’s positive Cheren knows this as well. Instead he enjoys the time with Cheren and thinks maybe he'd ask for help more often from him, even if it was just an excuse to spend time with the other.

Even the small squeeze he gets from the gym leader’s hand has his heart strangely fluttering.

**Author's Note:**

> Been replaying White 2 recently, what a nice pairing. <3 Thanks for reading!


End file.
